If Jim Mathias is restrained jungle cat, then Mike McDermott is a charging rhino.

While both have long careers in public service, that's where the similarities end. Their personalities and political philosophies, while equally aggressive, are diametrical opposites.

Both are running for the Lower Shore's state Senate seat, Mathias as the Democratic incumbent, McDermott as his vocal Republican challenger.

Mathias, 63, says he's proud of what he calls his effective leadership and results, using relationships built with state and local leaders, during his time in the General Assembly.

"I work to find consensus and commonality," said Mathias, the sitting District 38 Senator. "It's not ideological. It's just achievement. That issue of the day is going to have another tomorrow and the next day, and we have to work together to find solutions. To me, to feel effective for my constituents here, I have to get the job done."

McDermott, 52, targets not just his opponent, but the overall state political leadership, in his campaign to unseat Mathias.

"It's not whether we both vote against one particular bill," said McDermott, a freshman legislator representing District 38B in the House of Delegates. "It's the overall philosophy of, how do you view government? I can't help but think there's a big difference between how he and I view America. Do you want somebody who wants to tell you how to live every aspect of life?"

Getting here

It was the death of a legislator that charted the course of both their political careers.

A decade ago, McDermott was working two jobs, as a sheriff's deputy and as Snow Hill's interim police chief. Mathias had been mayor of Ocean City for eight years, a role that came to define him personally and professionally.

But in 2006, Lower Shore state Delegate K. Bennett Bozman died , leaving his District 38B seat open late in his term.

Democrats tapped Mathias, then the mayor of Ocean City, to serve as his interim replacement in the House of Delegates. Less than five months later, Mathias handily won the seat in his own right, as the top vote-getter among four candidates in the 2006 election.

(Mathias' shift to the General Assembly also gave Rick Meehan, then serving as president of the Ocean City Council, an automatic promotion to mayor, where he's relished taking on the role of liasion to Annapolis and being the public face of the resort.)

In 2009, when former District 38 Senator Lowell Stoltzfus decided he wasn't going to run for a fifth term, Mathias immediately eyed the position for himself. He also said people in the community came to him with the same suggestion. Mathias spent months positioning himself for the 2010 election, and getting better educated on area-wide issues.

Mathias faced Republican challenger Michael James, a formidable candidate coming from the public sector with years of hospitality, tourism, and civic experience. Mathias also had beaten James four years earlier for his House seat.

The election results were so close, they had to count the absentee ballots three times. In the end, out of more than 36,000 ballots cast, Mathias defeated James by 631 votes, for a razor-thin 1.7 percent margin of victory.

McDermott had been elected mayor of Pocomoke City in 2005, the first time the career policeman had run for office. He won on campaign promises of improving communication between the municipal government and its citizens, and looking to Pocomoke's future with a 20-year strategic plan.

"The people feel disconnected. There is a failure or inability (of the mayor and city council) to communicate with the public," McDermott told The Daily Times in February 2005. "I feel obligated to do what my heart tells me to do."

In 2010, when Mathias left the House, it was McDermott who filled his seat.

Public intensity

The candidates in this race are defined by their public presence.

Mathias is naturally gregarious and outgoing, always with a handshake or hello to most everyone in the room. But when making public appearances, he's usually soft-spoken and rarely comes across as particularly intense.

Not McDermott. With a booming baritone, he might feel at home in the role of preacher, drill sergeant, or talk radio host. In front of even a small audience, McDermott's volume knob goes to 11. When he's really fired up, he punctuates his delivery with shouts and finger jabs, and his face turns a vibrant shade of crimson.

McDermott brings that same intensity to his remarks about Maryland's Democratic leadership, and of his opponent's voting record in support of that political establishment.

"I notice that myself and Senator Mathias, we're not necessarily lining up with what I thought was the best interest of the state," he said. "We need somebody who's much more conservative and thoughtful about the Eastern Shore, and our values in that position, and I think I fit that bill."

McDermott, who sometimes is aligned with local Tea Party Republicans, is critical of the size of state government, saying part of the problem in Annapolis is "an out-of-control spending deluge."

"People down here expect us to constrain government, and limit the need for increased taxes and regulations," he said. "If I tell you I need your money to pay for something, and I use it for something else, that's disingenuous. So we don't believe in those policies. We believe people have a right to decide things for themselves, and have less government intrusion."

Mathias says he represents an independent voice from his party, and isn't happy that McDermott has "distorted and maligned" his voting record.

"I've responsibly and strongly stood up for the people of the Eastern Shore, whether it's been tax increases, the gun bill, same-sex marriage… When I stand against my party, I do it in a way where they respect me, because they know I'm doing my job."